Irish Seaweed Research Group

The group was established in 1994 by Prof. Michael Guiry as the Irish Seaweed Industry Organisation (ISIO), which operated as the connecting bridge between the seaweed industry and research centres in Ireland. In 1998, when Prof. Guiry became Director of the Martin Ryan Institute for Marine Science, and following the recommendations of the National Seaweed Forum Report (2000), a seaweed research group was established, the Irish Seaweed Centre (ISC), today the ISRG.

Funding schemes and organizational structures change over time. The group is currently best described as an open affiliation of researchers interested in seaweeds and centred on the Ryan Institute at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Other groups within NUI Galway also work on algal and seaweed projects [e.g. Algal Biosciences]. The ISRG is a group with two affiliated principal investigators (Prof. Mark Johnson and Dr Ronan Sulpice) and a number of affiliated research fellows, postdoctoral researchers, postgraduate students and interns.

Our goals

To investigate and understand the chemistry, biology and ecology of the seaweed species we work on, with fundamental and applied research.

To maintain and create new synergies with other research groups at a national and international level.

To study seaweed resources at local and national level, and to communicate their value to national authorities and industries that promote increasing use of seaweeds without undermining the important ecological roles they play in the environment.